Björnska in the Maia Song Contest 16

Björnska participated in the Maia Song Contest 16 with the entry internally selected by the Francophone-Celtian broadcaster Øén. This followed a dispute with the national broadcaster BTV, which led to the latter's withdrawal from the contest, and the transferal of participative rights from BTV to Øén "on a temporary basis" from the Maia Broadcasting Union. On 15 February, Øén announced Angus & Julia Stone as the Björnsk representative with the downtempo indie-pop song "Château".

Björnska was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the contest, performing during the show in position 2. "Château" was announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final, being drawn to the second half. In the final, Björnska received 68 points in total, placing twenty-second overall.

Background
Prior to #16, Björnska had competed fifteen times since its debut in the first edition. Although the country has not yet won the contest, its best placement came in Maia Song Contest 2 when Five Knives was the runner-up with their song "Savages". The country's worst placement came in the twelfth edition when Matt Wills' song "Set You Free" failed to qualify, placing seventeenth in the second semi-final that year. That occasion marks one of only two editions wherein the country failed to make the final, the only other occasion being in #15 when Paloma Faith placed thirteenth in the second semi-final with "Crybaby".

Potential withdrawal
On 25 January 2018, addressing the Committee for Public Broadcasting, HoD Adela Nyström stated "It is becoming clear that this contest is no longer about music, and the money we spend on it is unjustifiable". She then proceeded to hand over a 5,000-strong petition calling for the country to withdraw, alongside her resignation. The outburst attracted significant national media attention, prompting speculation that the country would withdraw from the contest either on a temporary or permanent basis. In addition, it was reported on 29 January 2018 that the broadcaster is "on the brink of collapse", with three unnamed figures within the company being investigated for serious financial mismanagement.

On 1 February, a proposed bailout scheme for the company was rejected by the Underhuset following pressure from trade unions not to save the broadcaster, instead urging public money to be used in "key areas" such as health and education. As a result, BTV withdrew from its right to represent Björnska in the Maia Song Contest due to financial issues.

It was announced on 4 February that the MBU was in "advanced talks" with an unnamed broadcaster that had expressed interest in temporarily assuming the responsibility of selecting the Björnsk entry. Although it was originally thought that this may not materialise until the seventeenth edition, it was announced on 9 February that the Francophone-Celtian broadcaster Øén would be granted temporary membership in the MBU so that they could organise the Björnsk entry. This was met with mixed reaction from national press, given the channel's smaller budget and lower notability in comparison to BTV.

Internal selection
Øén was confirmed as the broadcaster that would select the Björnsk entry on 9 February 2018. The following day, it was announced that they would opt to internally select the participant, claiming that they "had already been approached by several established and upcoming artists". The artist, along with the song, was announced to be revealed on 15 February 2018 - the deadline day for entries in the Maia Song Contest 16.

On 15 February, Øén announced Angus & Julia Stone as the Björnsk representative with the downtempo indie-pop song "Château".

At Maia Song Contest
According to contest rules, all countries must qualify through one of two semi-finals in order to compete in the grand final - with the exception of the "Big Six" (host nation + five highest-scoring entries in the previous edition). As Björnska fulfils neither of these criteria, the Björnsk participant will compete in one of two semi-finals. Countries were allocated to a semi-final using voting patterns from previous editions, and a special semi-final allocation draw was held in the host city of Staesser, Braissash.

All three shows were broadcast live on Øén 1, with commentary from radio presenter Nick Grimshaw.

Semi-final
Angus & Julia Stone took part in both technical rehearsals and dress rehearsals, including the non-televised jury show where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.

At the end of the show, Björnska was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was revealed after the conclusion of the final that the country had placed 6th with 69 points.

Final
Shortly after the first semi-final, a winners' press conference was held for the ten qualifying countries. As part of this press conference, the qualifying artists took part in a draw to determine which half of the grand final they would subsequently participate in. This draw was done in the reverse order the countries appeared in the semi-final running order. Björnska was drawn to compete in the second half.

After taking part in technical and dress rehearsals, as well as the non-televised jury final show, Angus & Julia Stone performed once again at the final, in the 22nd position in the running order. After the conclusion of the voting, Björnska received 68 points from fourteen countries, the highest score being a '7 points' from Fronezenchya.

Voting
Voting during the three shows consisted of a 50/50 combination of televoting and the votes from a national, professional jury. The jury will consist of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury will be asked to judge each contestant based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury can be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently.

The following five members comprised the Björnsk jury:


 * François Ernmann – Chairperson – CEO of IBM Records
 * Gwenaël Auguste – pianist, violinist, composer
 * Katja Rasmussen – theatrical performer, vocal coach
 * Shereen Cutkelvin – singer, model, member of Neon Jungle who represented Björnska in Maia Song Contest 2
 * Sondre Verche – singer-songwriter, guitarist, coach on The Voice Björnska

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Björnska and awarded by Björnska in the semi-final and grand final of the contest,